A voyage on the Delta Queen is a journey back in time as nostalgic as its calliope concerts upon leaving ports -- there are no televisions and no cabin phones (wake-up calls are requested at the Purser's Office and are done by a knock on the door; room service orders are via a chalkboard in the lobby). Delta Queen is a living and authentic American antique -- the last in a breed of steam-powered sternwheelers.

The boat's age may cause an occasional contretemps: on our sailing a part broke in the paddlewheel that sidetracked us for four hours, and a slow leak dripped from the ceiling in one of the lounges. But the dedicated American crew attended to both problems expeditiously. Launched in 1926 as a passenger steamer between Sacramento and San Francisco, California, Delta Queen was drafted by the U.S. Navy as a harbor ferry in San Francisco Bay during World War II. A Cincinnati-based riverboat company, Greene Line Steamers, paid $46,000 for the boat at a government surplus auction in 1946. It was a bargain, considering the Delta Queen and a sister boat had cost $1 million apiece to build. Today, the interior is replete with tiffany lamps, antique furniture, hardwood paneling, brass fittings, Siamese ironwood floor and a Grand Staircase crowned by a crystal chandelier.

Greene Line later became The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. of New Orleans, and in the 1960's new federal safety laws prohibiting wooden construction in passenger ships almost dealt the Queen a fatal blow. Instead, a wave of public protest, capped by a petition with a million signatures, won her a reprieve, and ultimately an indefinite exemption as a national historic treasure. Today, passengers glide by pastoral scenery, through river locks, and into mid-American towns and cities in a style reminiscent of traveling gentry 100 years ago. The list of famous guests includes Princess Margaret of England and Former President, Jimmy Carter.

Delta Queen is currently part of the new Majestic America line's fleet of river and coastal vessels.

Dining

There are two over-lapping seatings in the Orleans Dining Room. Everyone sits at a designated table, but early-seating passengers are enjoying dessert when main seating passengers arrive. Not having to turn over tables between seatings eliminates the rush and strain.

Breakfast and lunch are open seating, with both buffet and menu selections. Continental breakfast starts early and runs late in the Forward Lounge. Cuisine on the Delta Queen is down-home and hearty. Steak, prime rib, southern-style barbecue ribs and chicken, fried catfish, soups, green salads, a tasty pastry (including the line's famous bread pudding, available every night) and ice cream desserts highlight the menu.

Cajun and Creole dishes are featured, as well as other regional selections. A vegetarian and a heart-healthy dish are offered at every lunch and dinner. Grilled chicken breast with steamed vegetables and baked potato is available every night as another light selection. In case you work up an appetite walking the open decks after dinner, there's also a themed Moonlight Buffet at 10:15 that is strong on desserts. Service in the Orleans Dining Room was attentive and lively.

Public Rooms
Though she is a lady of a certain age -- she marked her 75th year during 2002 -- she is well preserved. The Betty Blake Lounge is Delta Queen's elegant, low-key, Victorian-style social center. It provides a quiet place to sit and read in the library on brocade sofas and tapestry chairs, complete a tough jigsaw puzzle on an antique game table, and study wall paintings of steamboats past, as well as portraits of the pioneering Greene family.

The Forward Cabin Lounge, with its Tiffany-style stained glass windows, usually attracts bridge players to its round, elegant tables, with coffee and tea available 24-hours a day. The gift shop and purser's office are also located here. Immediately above, drinks are served in the sedate Texas Lounge with its piano bar and tinted windows. The Texas Lounge is also the setting for nostalgic sing-alongs, chats about the river and ports, and other activities.

Of special interest to the mechanically inclined is the boat's engine room, open to passengers at any time. The crew is always happy to show visitors around this impeccably smooth-running operation, with its steam boilers and the big pitman arms that push and pull the Queen's single, 44-ton paddlewheel. She usually cruises along at a leisurely six miles per hour, but will do 11 or so when called upon going down river. Front and rear thrusters assist in docking. On Sun, Texas and Cabin decks, rocking chairs and patio furniture provide sitting areas for river-watching, sunning and sipping the drink of the day.

The boat has no self-service launderette, no Internet Cafe (we used the computers at local public libraries in most of the ports) and no gym, but there are two exercise machines (a stationary bike and an elliptical machine) and some free weights. Mobility-impaired guests should note that there are no elevators. Air conditioning is uneven throughout the boat -- with some areas feeling drafty and cold, and others warm.

Cabins

All of the Delta Queen's 87 staterooms are outside, but there is considerable distinction among the eight categories. They range from AAA Outside Superior, with a tub and queen-sized bed, down to category E and F, with wood-shuttered windows, twin beds or upper and lower berths. All cabins have private baths, closets, large mirrors and wall-to-wall carpeting. A few cabins have partially obstructed views, and all open onto an open deck, with the exception of the 22 staterooms located on Cabin Deck that open into the Betty Blake Lounge. Staterooms are on the small side with tiny bathrooms.

The most spacious accommodations, categories AAA and AA average 190 square ft. and 150 square ft., respectively. The lowest categories, E and F, average 80 and 78 square ft. (definitely not for the claustrophobic). Good middle-of-the-road choices are categories A and B, averaging 130 square ft.

Note that since cabins on Sun and Texas Decks open to the outside, you are exposed to the elements when going to the dining room, lounges and other areas of the boat -- these decks have overhangs, but in rainy/windy weather you may get wet. You will definitely get wet while negotiating the stairs from one deck to the other if you are on Sun Deck.

Steer away from cabin 315 -- it is next to a crew supply cabinet and hose bib where every morning before 7 a.m. they fill up a container to wash the deck -- the noise awoke us three times during our week-long cruise. That cabin's air conditioning was also inadequate -- we had to keep our window open throughout our journey. Cabins feature Lord and Mayfair lotions and shampoos. Cabin service was lackluster.

Entertainment
Evening offerings after dinner tend toward smaltzy and nostalgic rather than glitzy. Connie Jones and The Riverboat Five do Dixieland, show tunes, Big Band numbers without the big band, and dance music from eras gone by. One highlight is a versatile singer and piano player. Shows are presented after dinner in the Orleans Room, with chairs arranged around tables. We arrived a few minutes early each evening and had no trouble getting good seats. The Bose sound system was good.

A pianist mans the keyboard in the Texas Lounge and during dinner in the dining room. Several of the musicians play the boat's 1897 calliope, an antique steam-powered organ located aft above the paddlewheel. For one evening's concert, the steam is colored in what the staff called the "Aurora" effect -- very pretty.

Passengers get a crack at this unique instrument themselves and are rewarded with a "Vox Calliopus" membership award for hitting five keys. Late-nighters, who are few, can hear more of Annie's repertoire at the Night Owl Society every evening beginning at 10:15 in the Texas Lounge.

An important feature of the Delta Queen is its various themed cruises offered every year. Jazz, spring pilgrimage, the Civil War, steamboat racing, Cajun culture, fall foliage and holiday trips are examples.

Fitness & Recreation
Aside from walking the decks and dancing after the show, there is little physical activity offered. A "Riverlorian" provides talks and orientations regarding ports, river life, history and general information. Movies, mainly classics, documentary and historical fare, are offered in the dining room.

Bingo is popular, as well as cards, trivia contests, kite flying (with the calliope playing a boisterous "Let's Go Fly A Kite"), a wheelhouse tour while in ports and engine room opportunities. But compared with other cruises, there are few organized activities. There is no casino and no pool.

Family
None. Some activities, like kite flying off the stern and calliope lessons, are fun for all.

Fellow Passengers
While there are occasional children, and even honeymooners, among the Delta Queen's 174 passengers, the vast majority of passengers are elderly Americans seeking a quiet, nostalgic vacation. The boat has a large repeat business, and it's not uncommon for some passengers to be on their 50th Delta Queen cruise. Many live in cities and towns along the boat's various itineraries and they've seen the Queen slide by for the past 75 years.

Dress Code
Two evenings, which include a captain's cocktail reception and special dinner, call for business attire with coat and tie for men, dresses for ladies. But daytime dress is casual, and while many gentlemen wear jackets at dinner, it's not necessary.

Gratuity
Suggested tips per day: $4.50 per person for cabin attendant and server in dining room; $3.25 for bus person. Dining room captain, $5.75 per couple per cruise; maitre d' $4.25 per couple per cruise. Porters charge $5 per bag ($2.50 per bag on and off). Envelopes are provided prior to the last evening's meal.